State Wrestling |
Coaching for gold at state

Westville wrestling coach Austin Hedrick — **CHAMPAIGN** - Westville head wrestling coach Austin Hedrick shouts instructions to Tigers' Ethan Miller during his 190 pound match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Thursday. Miller suffered a tough loss falling 2-1 in the first tiebreaker to Lena Winslow's Oliver McPeek. Hedrick, who wrestled for St. Joseph-Ogden and later four years at Millikan University, was a state finalist for the Spartans.

State Wrestling |
Oakwood's Steven Unden advances to semifinal round at state wrestling

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Champaign - Oakwood-Salt Fork's Steven Uden wraps up Canton's Jaxsun Owens in their Class 1A 106-pound first-round match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Thursday. Unden won the bout by pin at 4:53. He advanced to the quarterfinals to face Morrison's Cael Wright. The sophomore who improved to 42-5 later Wright to advance to the championship semifinal round. Here are three other photos from his first match on THursday.

State Representative says Illinois needs to focus on its citizens

Dieterich – State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) says it is time for state leaders to prioritize the needs of Illinois citizens. In Niemerg's opinion, Governor Pritzker's presentation of a "balanced budget" is nothing more than the usual, deceptive schemes.

"It is baffling to me that we cannot have bipartisan support for managing our resources better and preventing these constant gaping budget holes that are a staple for all of these so-called 'balanced' budgets," he stated, criticizing how Illinois budgets are determined. "For years, the state has been using creative accounting gimmicks to create the illusion of a 'balanced' budget."

Niemerg says the state needs to do a better job of managing Illinois finances. Calling for an Illinois version of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he said state budgets usually show increased income and lower spending projections. However, when the bills are presented to the state, the payment cycle "is stretched out longer and longer and, in the end, taxpayers take it on the chin because there is a monthly penalty for delayed state payments."

"High taxes, poor state leadership, and rising crime are the culprits for the outbound migration."

"Not once did the Governor mention property tax relief. Not once did he mention pension reform. Not once did he mention public safety concerns in Chicagoland," Niemerg said in a statement on Wednesday. "He did, however, mention Donald Trump at least six times in his speech. Instead of focusing on President Trump, the Governor should focus on the issues Illinois residents actually care about."

Niemerg stressed that Governor Pritzker's remarks about President Trump during the State of the State Address do nothing to solve the very real problems facing our state.

He points out that Illinois had the second-highest outbound moves in 2024 – second only to New Jersey. He said the combination of high taxes, poor state leadership, and rising crime are the culprits for the outbound migration. He also noted the Governor did not address the issue of illegal immigration and the amount of money being spent on programs and services for people not legally supposed to be here. A recent Pew Research poll showed 59% of Americans approve of President Trump's immigration policies.

"The vast majority of Americans support President Trump's efforts to secure our borders and deport criminals here illegally," Niemerg said, who believes the Governor and the Democratic majority in the House are out of touch with the majority of American people. "Instead of prioritizing the needs of our own citizens, they are continuing to pour money into programs for illegal immigrants. We have a responsibility to address the concerns of our own citizens. It is not the job of the state of Illinois to solve the immigration crisis."